1 Road works in Tsim Sha Tsui gazetted
Hong Kong Government, 5 June 2009

The Government published a notice in the Gazette today (June 5) on the construction of a turnaround at the junction of Salisbury Road with Canton Road, aiming to facilitate the conversion of the existing public transport interchange outside Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier into an open piazza.

The proposed works include construction of a turnaround at the junction of Salisbury Road with Canton Road, a taxi stand and a drop-off point, a coach pickup/drop off point and bus stops on Salisbury Road westbound outside Hong Kong Cultural Centre; temporary or permanent closure and reconstruction of sections of the existing carriageways and footpaths; permanent closure of the existing public transport interchange upon commencement of the construction of the planned open piazza; and ancillary works including landscaping, drainage, lighting and utility diversion works, and installation of traffic lights.

The scheme is scheduled to start in 2009/2010 and will take about 24 months to complete.  

The plan and scheme are available for public inspection at the following places during office hours:

(i) Central and Western District Office, Public Enquiry Service Centre, Unit 5, Ground Floor, The Center, 99 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong;

(ii) Yau Tsim Mong District Office, Public Enquiry Service Centre, Ground Floor, Mong Kok Government Offices, 30 Luen Wan Street, Mong Kok; and

(iii) District Lands Office, Kowloon West, 10th Floor, Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building, 250 Shanghai Street, Kowloon.

Any person who wishes to object to the proposed works or the use, or both, should write to the Secretary for Transport and Housing, 16th floor, Murray Building, Garden Road, Hong Kong, on or before August 4.

2 West Island Line may beat budget, MTR says
Anita Lam, SCMP 5 June 2009

The estimated cost of the West Island Line - which rose 73 per cent from its original HK$8.9 billion budget to HK$15.4 billion - may end up lower than expected, the MTR Corporation's chairman said yesterday.

However, lawmakers continued to complain about the increased cost for the 3km, three-station rail extension, for which taxpayers must shoulder more than 80 per cent, accusing the government of being soft and yielding to whatever amount the MTR Corp asked for.

At the firm's annual general meeting, MTR Corp chairman Raymond Chien Kuo-fung said the rising costs of material and the technical complexities of the work were to blame for the increase. Dr Chien, who was re-elected to the board, stressed it would return any funds not spent to the government with interest.

"Our track record in cost control has been fairly good. We always aim at doing the work better and cheaper than the goal we set, and the West Island Line is no different from our other projects."

He said the MTR Corp could not increase its share of the costs because, as a listed company, it must manage finances in a safe and stable manner, and that in fact its share of the cost had dropped from HK$2.9 billion to HK$2.7 billion due to reduced revenue projection.

The government is supposed to bridge any funding gap between the cost of the rail link and its projected income for the next 50 years.

In a Legislative Council subcommittee panel meeting, lawmakers Andrew Cheng Kar-foo and Li Fung-ying said the government was being soft in accepting the MTR Corp's demands, but Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said the move allowed works for the much-awaited rail link to start soon.

Meanwhile, Dr Chien said he was happy that the sale of the MTR Corp's luxury flat development Lake Silver, above Ma On Shan station, had gone well, as the property market had recovered over the past two months.

A minority shareholder at the meeting, a woman named Madam Chan, again pressed the company to make the HK$2 concessionary fare for the elderly permanent, rather than offering it just once a week.

MTR Corp general manager for marketing and stations Jeny Yeung said the concessionary offer - which would end in August - was being reviewed and a decision would be announced soon.

Asked by another shareholder what the company had done since her husband slipped down a gap between the train and the platform at University station last November, the MTR Corp said it was still testing a mechanical board and would have an answer later this year.